Will the real liberal please stand up

By Emilie van Outeren

What makes a liberal? The definition differs widely on the two opposite sides
of the Atlantic, but even within the tiny Netherlands, political parties
bicker over who is really entitled to use the term.

"The question isn't so much which party is, strictly speaking, the most
liberal. What matters is which party can best safeguard our free democratic
society," wrote Mark Rutte, the leader of the VVD party, in his Op-Ed
in NRC Handelsblad on Monday. The paper invited Rutte, whose party is
usually referred to as right-wing liberal, and Alexander Pechtold, the
leader of D66, which is usually described as left-wing liberal, to write
arguments in defence of their versions of liberalism. But although Rutte
believes more is at stake than who can claim the definition, 'liberal' and
'liberal values' are popping up regularly in the Dutch political discourse
these days. With parliamentary elections just one week away, these two
liberals clash on what their ideology stands for and what it should mean for
the Netherlands, in respect to issues ranging from austerity measures to
environmental policies and whether these should be dealt with by a big or
small government.

The meaning of the word liberal has developed differently in Europe than it
has in North America. In the United States, the term is commonly associated
with left-wing progressive movements. In the Netherlands, liberalism has
traditionally been one of the three forces that made up the
political landscape, with social
democrats on the left, Christian
democrats in the centre and liberals on the right. But the Dutch
multiparty parliament is now more fractured than ever and the old left-right
classification no longer holds up. Meanwhile, liberalism -- no matter how it
is defined -- is on the rise. Some polls predict Mark Rutte's VVD, which now
holds 22 of the 150 seats in parliament, will garner 38 seats next week.
Pechtold's D66, which now only has 3 delegates in parliament, looks set to
win 10 seats.

Clean up the financial mess

Pechtold begins his Monday Op-Ed by stressing where D66 and VVD see eye to
eye. According to Pechtold, both parties believe in, "individuals, free
from coercion by church, class or state, who take responsibility for their
own actions". But he goes on to say that the two parties differ
fundamentally on how this assumption relates to three particular issues:
caring for the vulnerable, the paradox of freedom and security and the
concern for the environment. D66's concerns in these areas are costly, and
that is why Rutte accuses other politicians, including Pechtold, of wanting
to overtax citizens. "A party that wants to increase the burden on the
taxpayer now, cannot call itself liberal," Rutte writes.

The argument should be seen in the context of a cutthroat election campaign
underway in the Netherlands, where politicians from a
dozen parties are trying to score off each other. The parliamentary
election has become very focused on the economy and, as the polls show, the
liberals are widely trusted to best clean up the financial mess caused by
the gaping budget deficit and ballooning national debt. Despite the global
crisis largely being blamed on financial liberalisation, voters seem to have
lost even more faith in the Christian democrats and Labour party, which
ruled the country in the past three years.

The VVD, in particuar, has announced stringent austerity measures. The VVD
doesn't shy away from making fundamental choices about society, the economy
and the role of the government, writes Rutte, so as, ultimately, to emerge
stronger from this crisis. "The VVD wants a small, strong state that focuses
on its core tasks: education, safety, infrastructure and healthcare." At the
same time, the party wants to tackle government spending and lower the
national debt, without raising taxes, which Rutte claims are high enough in
the Netherlands.

Checks and balances

This is where Pechtold accuses him of ruthlessly disregarding the needs of
underprivileged people. Rutte has come under fire after a current affairs TV
programme calculated that the VVD plans would financially hurt a mother of
three on welfare and a family with a disabled daughter since the party
proposes to cut welfare and compensation for medical expenses. Rutte denied
the accusations on the show. But Pechtold attacks him for wanting to make
the weakest in society pay for the crisis.

The episode doesn't seem to have affected Rutte's standing with the
electorate. His VVD is still seen as the can-do party, also when it comes to
issues of safety and immigration, an issue on which it is competing for
voters with Geert
Wilders. In his Op-Ed, Rutte shows his tough side. "Everyone who
comes to our country to contribute is welcome. But we need to put a stop to
the influx of disadvantaged migrants who come here only to end up dependent
on social security. The VVD wants to change antiquated European conventions
that stand
in the way."

This is where Pechtold again attacks Rutte for not being liberal, because the
VVD continuously argues for "wider jurisdiction, more data collection
and longer retention of data," Pechtold writes. Privacy is a big part
of freedom, according to Pechtold, and violations thereof are only
acceptable when they actually lead to greater security and checks and
balances are anchored into law. Pechtold says the government is responsible
for more than just safety and public order and does not believe less
government is always better. "The government needs to offer services
where fairness is more important than efficiency, such as education and
healthcare."

'A liberal nightmare'

At the end of his Op-Ed, Pechtold compares the Dutch political set-up to that
of the UK. "It is no coincidence that D66 has warm relations with Nick
Clegg's LibDems," says Pechtold, "while the VVD has close ties
with David Cameron's Conservatives." According to Pechtold, the first
British party has a more international outlook than the second, which is
primarily focused on national concerns.

Last month's British elections resulted in a unique coalition between the
Conservatives and LibDems, and it is very well possible Rutte and Pechtold
could end up governing together. Both the VVD and D66 are part of the ALDE
group of liberals in the European parliament and they were in coalitions
together from 1994 to 2002 and again between 2003 and 2006.

If Rutte can cash in on the positive polls, his party will take the lead in
forming a coalition government with two or three other parties. Pechtold has
one final warning for Rutte in his Op-Ed. "A real liberal would never
work with a politician like Geert Wilders, whose xenophobic dream is a
liberal nightmare."